


Swimming Lessons

by savage_starlight



Series: Origins [2]
Category: Uncharted (Video Games)
Genre: Brotherly Fluff, Gen, Seriously this is approximately on the level of cotton balls when it comes to the fluff scale, Swimming, kids being kids
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-11
Updated: 2016-06-11
Packaged: 2018-07-14 09:06:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7164779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/savage_starlight/pseuds/savage_starlight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sam teaches Nate how to swim.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Swimming Lessons

**Author's Note:**

> So the setting for this is really ambiguous, mostly because I couldn't think of a specific time/place for this to take place, so sorry about that. Anyway, I picture this as happening sometime around a year or so after the flashback from the game. Hope you enjoy!!
> 
> Credit to destielydia and her little!Nate anon on tumblr for the idea!!

The sun is high and burning hot, and as Sam rounds the top of the dunes, he grins.  “Well, would you look at that?” he says, unhooking one of his thumbs from the strap of his backpack to gesture broadly at the ocean glittering before them as he turns to look at Nathan.  “Whaddya think?”

Nathan’s eyes are wide and reflect back the sea, and Sam can tell he’s trying hard to not look impressed, but it’s not especially effective.  His brother has many things, but a good poker face isn’t one of them.  “It’s massive,” Nathan notes, and Sam can hear the repressed awe in his voice.

He smirks and nudges Nathan’s shoulder.  “Yeah, well.  It _is_ the ocean,” he points out, and when Nathan gives him a look, he just grins wider and nods toward the blue expanse at the bottom of the dunes.  “Come on, I’ll race you,” he says, and Nathan opens his mouth to respond, but before he can get a word out, Sam’s already gone.  “Last one to the water is a rotten egg!” he calls behind him, and he hears Nathan say something explicit before he starts to run too.

Sam may be the better liar, but Nathan’s always been the faster runner, and even with his head start, it doesn’t take long before his little brother catches up.  He manages to keep pace for a moment before Nathan starts to slip ahead, and Sam swears internally as he tries to think of a strategy for regaining his lead but before he gets a chance to come up with anything solid, the loose ground under Nathan’s feet slips, sending him tumbling to the ground.  It happens too fast for any kind of reaction, and right after Nathan falls, Sam trips on him and follows him down, both of them rolling the rest of the way to the waiting sand of the beach below.

There’s a brief moment at the bottom when neither of them moves, instead being content to groan and lament the miraculous knot of limbs they’re currently stuck in.  It’s Sam who recovers first, and he shakes Nathan’s legs from off of his, sitting up and shaking his head, looking over as his little brother props himself on an elbow and does the same.  “Nice wrestling moves you got there, Nathan,” Sam notes wryly.  “You been practicing without me?”

His response is an emphatic eye-roll and a snort. “Yeah, right,” Nathan mutters, blinking the last of the stars out of his eyes and scooting away from Sam so that their previous entanglement is completely resolved.  His gaze moves to trace over the light-tipped waves, and in his eyes, Sam can see both awe and trepidation.  “It’s so huge,” he breathes, like he can’t quite believe it.

The smirk that finds its way onto Sam’s face is entirely unintentional, but he makes no attempt to remove it, and he nods as he looks away from Nathan to stare at the water himself.  “Yeah, it is,” he agrees.  For a brief moment, there’s an admiring silence, but it doesn’t last long before Sam breaks it, looking back over to his brother with a quicksilver grin and the sun in his eyes.  “Wanna look around a bit?”

Nathan takes his eyes off the ocean to look at Sam, raising a confused eyebrow.  “What do you mean?” There’s no response, but when Sam starts to untie his shoes, everything clicks and Nathan shakes his head.  “No way,” he says.  “Sam, I can’t swim.”

Sam’s response is a grin.  “Well, we all gotta learn sometime,” he says, peeling off one sock and setting it to the side, shifting his attention to the other foot. “C’mon, Nathan.  It’ll be fun.”

“Yeah, until I wind up drinking salt water,” Nathan disagrees, his gaze flickering between the water and his brother.  

“You’re not supposed to _drink_ the ocean, you’re supposed to swim in it,” Sam points out, not stopping.

“I’m not going to _try_ to drink it, it’ll probably just happen-“

“Look,” Sam says, setting his second shoe to the side and pausing.  “I know water isn’t really your thing-“

Nathan snorts.  “Oh, really?”

“-but you need to know how to swim,” Sam finishes. He fixes Nathan with a steady look, temporarily slipping into a more serious mood to combat the wariness on his brother’s face.  “We’re adventurers, remember?” he says, nudging Nathan.  “We gotta go on the water sometimes, and I need to know that you can take care of yourself if you gotta swim to shore.”

There’s a brief moment of silence, and Sam has to fight the urge to give his brother a comforting pat on the back when he notes the tell-tale tick of the jaw that means Nathan’s biting the inside of his cheek. He blinks hard for a moment, then looks away to the water, and Sam gives a sympathetic smile, one corner of his mouth quirking up.  Grabbing his nearby sock, he balls it up and tosses it lightly at Nathan’s chest.  “C’mon,” he says.  “I don’t want to be soaking wet when it starts to cool down around here.”

His piece said, Sam returns to taking off his other sock, not looking at Nathan.  He’s well aware by now that sometimes Nathan just needs a moment to psyche himself up before he can dive into these things, and he’s not about to push the issue.  Sure enough, after another minute, Nathan sighs, and Sam tries to keep the smile off his face as he stands and removes his shirt, then makes his way over to the water, wading in with his shorts still on until he’s hip deep before turning to wait.

Nathan’s first steps into the water are hesitant, uncertain, and Sam smiles reassuringly.  “You got this,” he says.  “You’re doing fine.”  Nathan nods in a way that Sam knows means he’s not at all confident about the situation but he’s not about to admit that, but he doesn’t comment on the situation.  

When Nathan’s out far enough that the water’s at his chest, Sam stops him, holding up a hand.  “Alright,” he begins, “first things first is the basic stuff.  Floating is about as basic as it gets.  If you can’t swim for some reason, just float, and I’ll come get you as soon as I can, alright?”  Nathan nods, and Sam continues.  “Now the thing about floating is that the less you think about it, the better it works.  The water’s going to hold you up, alright, so you don’t have to kick or anything.  See, like this,” he explains, demonstrating and leaning back, letting the water swing his legs up so that he’s staring up at the sky.   _It’s really blue today,_ he notes almost absently, briefly allowing himself to marvel at the weather.   _This is some gorgeous sunlight._

_Focus, Sam,_ he reminds himself after nearly a minute has passed, shaking his head and letting the weight return to his limbs, standing again.  Water streams down into his face, and he has to blink hard for a few seconds when it runs into his eyes because _damn,_ he’s forgotten how much salt water stings.  He smiles at Nathan anyway, gesturing to the water.  “Now you try.”

Nathan gives a slow nod, not saying anything. Sam watches carefully as Nathan steels himself, then lets his legs go out from under him.  For a second, Sam thinks that this might actually work, and then he sees the panic flash across his brother’s face at the sudden sensation that he’s no longer connected to the ground.  Nathan kicks out instinctively, flailing, and his head ducks underwater in panic.

“Hey!” Sam lunges for Nathan, grabbing his arm and helping him stand as he surfaces spluttering from below the water.  He opens his mouth for air instantly, gasping, but instead of air he gets a mouthful of salt-water and he starts to cough. Startled, Sam knocks him hard on the back a couple times, watching his younger brother in concern.  “Hey, hey, hey,” he scolds, “the point is that you _don’t_ drown.  Come on, cough it out, Nathan, I’ve got you.”  

When Nathan finally calms down a minute later, Sam’s hand is still on his back, and he looks at his brother in concern.  “You okay?” he asks, searching his brother’s face.

Nathan nods, coughing out one last bit of water from his lungs.  “I’m fine,” he says, blinking hard, his eyes red with salt water and his voice sounding somewhat hoarse.  “Let me just…try that again.”

Sam narrows his eyes, studying Nathan for a moment to make sure he’s not hiding any kind of injury or ailment.  After a moment, he consents, letting go of Nathan’s shoulder.  “Alright,” he says, stepping back, “go for it.  Just let yourself go limp,” he instructs. “The water will hold you, I promise.”

Nathan nods again, taking a deep breath.  He clamps his eyes shut again and lets his legs go from under him, and Sam watches warily in expectation, but this time he doesn’t panic and he floats, just like he’s supposed to.  He keeps his breath held though, looking so focused for a moment that Sam finds himself abruptly torn between brotherly pride and the urge to laugh hysterically at Nathan’s facial expression, and he’s saved from deciding which one to do when a moment later, Nathan opens his eyes in shock and lets out his breath.  “Hey,” he says, sounding surprised, “it’s working!”

Sam smirks and nods, grinning at his brother. “Told you you could do it,” he says as Nathan’s feet touch down and he stands up again.  “Nothing to it, right?”

Nathan looks shocked as he nods, a crooked smile creeping across his face.  “Nothing to it.”  

Sam smiles, clapping Nathan on the back.  “Now then,” he says, “onto some other things.” 

**Author's Note:**

> I was tempted to add more with the brothers just chilling out on the beach afterward, but then I decided against it. Also, I totally imagine that once Nate knows how to swim, Sam is the older brother who would pull the 'I'm being dragged down by a sea monster' trick on him the first time they were out on the open ocean together and he got a chance, just to be a jerk, and poor baby Nate would be terrified. 
> 
> I love these two.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed!


End file.
